Ayala Corporation

Ayala Corporation (Spanish: Ayala y Compañía) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and Antonio de Ayala during the Spanish colonial rule, it is the country's oldest and largest conglomerate. The company has a portfolio of diverse business interests, including investments in retail, education, real estate, banking, telecommunications, water infrastructure, renewable energy, electronics, information technology, automotive, healthcare, and management and business process outsourcing. As of November 2015, it is the country's largest corporation in terms of assets ($48.7B)

History

The company began in 1834 with the formation of a distillery owned by Casa Róxas, a partnership between Domingo Róxas and Antonio de Ayala. The distillery was the maker of Ginebra San Miguel which was later acquired by La Tondeña, Inc. in 1929.

In the late 19th century, Ayala participated in the construction of the Puente de Ayala (Ayala Bridge) over the Pasig River in Manila. Built of wood in 1872, the bridge was reconstructed in steel in 1908 and became the first steel bridge in the Philippines. In 1888, Ayala introduced the first tramcar service in the Philippines. Ayala was responsible for the development of Makati as the financial district of Manila and the Philippines after World War II.